Encyclopedia entry
Pinnacle
A little wing, (Matt. 4:5; Luke 4:9). On the southern side of the temple court was a range of porches or cloisters forming three arcades. At the south-eastern corner the roof of this cloister was some 300 feet above the Kidron valley. The pinnacle, some parapet or wing-like projection, was above this roof, and hence at a great height, probably 350 feet or more above the valley.
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(of the temple), (Matthew 4:5; Luke 4:9) The Greek word ought to be rendered not a pinnacle, but the pinnacle. The only part of the temple which answered to the modern sense of pinnacle was the golden spikes erected on the roof to prevent birds from settling there. Perhaps the word means the battlement ordered by law to be added to every roof. (According to Alford it was the roof of Herod’s royal portico of the temple,“which overhung the ravine of Kedron from a dizzy height”—600 or 700 feet.-ED.)
In the Bible
2
Verses where Pinnacle is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- Luke 4:9
Then the devil led Him to Jerusalem and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down from here.
- Matthew 4:5
Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple.
Voices on Pinnacle
1
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.